“We are human beings, we also get sick”: presenteeism in nursing workers in a pandemic context

Abstract

Objective: to understand the experiences of presenteeism in nursing professionals from hospital services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: qualitative study, anchored in historical-dialectical materialism. Thirty nursing workers participated in the research, divided into six online focus groups, analyzed based on Hermeneutics-Dialectics. Results: three categories of analysis emerged: “Worsening presenteeism in the pandemic context”; “Why did I go to work sick: the worker’s decision or precarious work?”; “Old problems, permanent struggle”. Despite the illness of professionals by COVID-19, presenteeism in the pandemic was marked by institutional pressure to return to work, mental suffering and lack of recognition and humanization. Among the factors that led to presenteeism, the lack of testing for COVID-19, concern for patients, co-workers and managers, as well as fear of losing their job and/or financial benefits, stood out. Faced with this scenario, workers called for a new reality in which rights such as decent wages and safe working conditions are guaranteed. Conclusion: the pandemic context revealed a worsening of presenteeism among nursing professionals. The results pointed to the importance of concretely valuing nursing in legal terms and beyond honors.